[WEB4LIB] Re: Future of HTML

[David Merchant]

>> For what it's worth, the browsers I consider
>> "stylesheet-capable" - Netscape 4.x, IE 4.x and 5.x (but not 3.x), Opera
>> 3.5x - routinely make up more than 90% of our traffic.
>
>This reminds me of the chicken and egg problem.  Do they make up more than
>90% of your traffic because the people who use other browsers can't view
>your site properly and therefore don't visit after awhile?  Or do most 
>users really use just netscape and ie?  

Good point!  I know if I have troubles with a site, I won't go back to it.
I know here at LaTech, if someone has problems accessing our electronic
resources from home, or the dorm, they will come in to use our computers!
While that is still giving them access, it's not quite the customer service
we should be providing.  And most who are coming in because they are having
troubles won't come right out and tell you that (I've had to get it out of
some, only a few have called or e'd and complained and finally said "I'll
just come in").  Plus, let's say only 8% aren't able to get in, for a
public service view that's 800 students out of our 10,000 student
population not getting in.  And plus, that's a probably conservative number
as some aren't even trying again after one bad or poor experience with
getting in and thus no longer show up in the traffic stats,  or they come
in from home to use an on campus computer to get in, and thus the stats
don't reflect their being inconveniced.  Thus the numbers of those having
troubles getting in may actually be higher, maybe 10%, or more, with it now
being a 1,000 students or more not getting in, or have decided they rather
just come in in person to use a computer in a lab or the library.  That's
ok if we aren't able to do anything about it, but coding for 3.0 browsers
would probably include more of them in and allow more of them to stay at
home (being more convienient for single moms, those without cars, those
with little time between school and work, etc, etc) to do their online work
and research.   Even though they may still be the minority at 10% or 15% or
whatever, if we don't have to exclude them, if we don't have to
inconvenience them, then why do so?  If coding for 3.0 browsers only helps
more people connect, or lowers the inconvenience by letting them connect
from their old 3.0 browser instead of coming in to use a 4.0 browser, why
not?  We are, after all, public libraries with the general public as our
audience, or the general student body as our audience.  To exclude even one
person when we don't have to is not right.  We are a service to them, we
exist, as a library, for them first and foremost, and not the other way
around (* I am NOT saying that anyone on this list is having the attitude
that the students or the general public exist for us first and foremost.*
I'm just being evangelical about the subject.).

Unfortunately, vendors make that more and more impossible.  More and more
of them are shutting others out by requiring a 4.0 browser to access their
sites.  For some, they rationalize but what they are really doing is just
having technology for technology sake, or some kind of Alpha Wolf "my web
site is whizzier, more complicated, shows more talent" etc.  The customer
should always be first, even if it means the fighting temptation and having
self-control to hold back, to reign in a bit even if other sites are
rushing past with their fancy, complicated, whizzy programs and design.
It's hard to say "we better go with the mini-van and not the jaguar."
You'll turn heads with the jag, but you'll fit more people into the
mini-van.  We need to reach the widest audience, not just those who have
the money (to upgrade their computer if needed), the time (takes a long
long time to download), the confidence (many are initimidated by
downloading and installing), to download and install something that is
different from what they are already used to.

Having said that, I realize our library pages suck bilge water in that even
conservative design can at least look good (and ours doesn't).  And we do
have access problems (though some of that is out of our hands).  Web page
design here has been, until very very recently, a low priority.

TTFN,
David Merchant







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